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Close to 2,000 people gathered in London's Trafalgar Square on Saturday in a mass celebration of the rec

Crowds remained in Trafalgar square well into the evening on Saturday night, with reports that police are planning to attempt to clear the lively crowds.
The guardian is live blogging the event here.
Agence-France Presse reports:
Former coal miners involved in the year-long strike against the Iron Lady's government in the 1980s joined far-left activists and students to drink to the Iron Lady's demise.
An effigy of the former Conservative leader was carried through the crowd beneath Nelson's Column, complete with her trademark string of pearls and bouffant hair made from orange plastic bags.
There was a strong police presence for the demonstration, after trouble erupted at several impromptu street celebrations following Thatcher's death from a stroke on Monday at the age of 87.
But the atmosphere was more street carnival than riot, with people of all ages -- many of them barely born when she left office in 1990 -- dancing, playing tambourines, blowing whistles and horns. [...]
Associated Press reports:
As a handbag-toting Thatcher effigy made its way down the stairs in front of the National Gallery, the crowd erupted into cries of "Maggie! Maggie! Maggie! Dead! Dead! Dead!" and sang lyrics from the "Wizard of Oz" ditty "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead."
Hundreds of people clutched their umbrellas in the rain between Nelson's Column and the National Gallery on the square. The mood appeared festive and the celebration was peaceful, although there was a minor scuffle with police at one point. Official crowd estimates weren't immediately available.
However, the crowd wasn't entirely joyous, as miners, socialists, Travellers, students and anti-capitalist protesters were also there to demonstrate against Margaret Thatcher's legacy and the all to familiar austerity policies of the nation's current coalition government, the Guardian reports.
The anti-austerity group UK Uncut carried out a number of coinciding protests throughout the day.
At one point around 200 people gathered outside the home of Baron David Freud, minister for welfare reform, to protest against the recently proposed "bedroom tax" and "benefits cap."
People played drums, sat in the street on beds and duvets and held up signs reading: "Who wants to evict a millionaire?"
Police are still expecting large crowds of protesters at Thatcher's funeral on Wednesday, when her coffin will be taken to St Paul's Cathedral through streets lined with members of the armed forces.

Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

Crowds remained in Trafalgar square well into the evening on Saturday night, with reports that police are planning to attempt to clear the lively crowds.
The guardian is live blogging the event here.
Agence-France Presse reports:
Former coal miners involved in the year-long strike against the Iron Lady's government in the 1980s joined far-left activists and students to drink to the Iron Lady's demise.
An effigy of the former Conservative leader was carried through the crowd beneath Nelson's Column, complete with her trademark string of pearls and bouffant hair made from orange plastic bags.
There was a strong police presence for the demonstration, after trouble erupted at several impromptu street celebrations following Thatcher's death from a stroke on Monday at the age of 87.
But the atmosphere was more street carnival than riot, with people of all ages -- many of them barely born when she left office in 1990 -- dancing, playing tambourines, blowing whistles and horns. [...]
Associated Press reports:
As a handbag-toting Thatcher effigy made its way down the stairs in front of the National Gallery, the crowd erupted into cries of "Maggie! Maggie! Maggie! Dead! Dead! Dead!" and sang lyrics from the "Wizard of Oz" ditty "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead."
Hundreds of people clutched their umbrellas in the rain between Nelson's Column and the National Gallery on the square. The mood appeared festive and the celebration was peaceful, although there was a minor scuffle with police at one point. Official crowd estimates weren't immediately available.
However, the crowd wasn't entirely joyous, as miners, socialists, Travellers, students and anti-capitalist protesters were also there to demonstrate against Margaret Thatcher's legacy and the all to familiar austerity policies of the nation's current coalition government, the Guardian reports.
The anti-austerity group UK Uncut carried out a number of coinciding protests throughout the day.
At one point around 200 people gathered outside the home of Baron David Freud, minister for welfare reform, to protest against the recently proposed "bedroom tax" and "benefits cap."
People played drums, sat in the street on beds and duvets and held up signs reading: "Who wants to evict a millionaire?"
Police are still expecting large crowds of protesters at Thatcher's funeral on Wednesday, when her coffin will be taken to St Paul's Cathedral through streets lined with members of the armed forces.

Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

Crowds remained in Trafalgar square well into the evening on Saturday night, with reports that police are planning to attempt to clear the lively crowds.
The guardian is live blogging the event here.
Agence-France Presse reports:
Former coal miners involved in the year-long strike against the Iron Lady's government in the 1980s joined far-left activists and students to drink to the Iron Lady's demise.
An effigy of the former Conservative leader was carried through the crowd beneath Nelson's Column, complete with her trademark string of pearls and bouffant hair made from orange plastic bags.
There was a strong police presence for the demonstration, after trouble erupted at several impromptu street celebrations following Thatcher's death from a stroke on Monday at the age of 87.
But the atmosphere was more street carnival than riot, with people of all ages -- many of them barely born when she left office in 1990 -- dancing, playing tambourines, blowing whistles and horns. [...]
Associated Press reports:
As a handbag-toting Thatcher effigy made its way down the stairs in front of the National Gallery, the crowd erupted into cries of "Maggie! Maggie! Maggie! Dead! Dead! Dead!" and sang lyrics from the "Wizard of Oz" ditty "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead."
Hundreds of people clutched their umbrellas in the rain between Nelson's Column and the National Gallery on the square. The mood appeared festive and the celebration was peaceful, although there was a minor scuffle with police at one point. Official crowd estimates weren't immediately available.
However, the crowd wasn't entirely joyous, as miners, socialists, Travellers, students and anti-capitalist protesters were also there to demonstrate against Margaret Thatcher's legacy and the all to familiar austerity policies of the nation's current coalition government, the Guardian reports.
The anti-austerity group UK Uncut carried out a number of coinciding protests throughout the day.
At one point around 200 people gathered outside the home of Baron David Freud, minister for welfare reform, to protest against the recently proposed "bedroom tax" and "benefits cap."
People played drums, sat in the street on beds and duvets and held up signs reading: "Who wants to evict a millionaire?"
Police are still expecting large crowds of protesters at Thatcher's funeral on Wednesday, when her coffin will be taken to St Paul's Cathedral through streets lined with members of the armed forces.
